UC-NRLF 


F 

122 
V3D4 


iiiiiiiiiiiii 
*C    233    123 


m* 


tmou 


ilip  Da  it  gam, 


Jfrc         Or  Ipenstcr, 


llrcsibent   of  tlj£    $U  to   $ork   historical   Sotictn. 


1       "          '  '                                              '                            '           '  "' 

HUtttQilf 

OF 

EIP 

VAN    DAM, 

, 

BY 

FREDERIC  DE  PEYSTER, 

V) 

^|  re  sxirent 

of   ijj*  |Ufo   fTork   fusiorital   £omig. 

NEW     YORK, 

MDCCCLXV. 

:  :  :\: '.  \:    ("):• 

,•••  .\  :    :  ;;•;••,;*:  •;;  ;  .% 

*•••*•!»•    i     I           '  . '     J    '  j    i    '  j    "    i*  '   ' 

NEW    YORK: 

PRESS    OF    EDMUND    JONES    &    CO., 

No.    26  John  Street. 

1865. 

F  I&8L 

\/3£f 


i«UWl0% 

Il%           1 

Mj^m^^fi. 

Sw 

A    »^IL  i^^^;  ■  i^  ^^wJP  iJSk 

^})\ I ^^fe^^CvV  ifc  llB     "?30   HMr      m'Jl^K^uS   B»Jk^Jtb» 

i»iS^^^SBPnP^MP  ^^^Mi 

nf^ i   I^lsggB^.  ll  ^^^^^^^^^^^)J 

*n&  dw^s^iwr 

W^lx^^S^*^ 

J*l  ^k^^4^E3BZH52S3T^^^ 

yd^^^^^Bsr^^^^^ 

/.  ::!:^?.'«i!  Y/.  .-. 

•      •••••'••**•••                €         «       .                    J 

minrxMt  $i$  fan  gam. 


\G%  HE  following  paper  was  read  before  the  New 

f§  York  Historical  Society  by  Frederic  De  Peyster, 
Esq.,  then  a  Vice-President,  but  now  President, 
of  that  distinguished  body. 

It  relates  to  an  interesting  era  in  the  colonial  history 
of  New  York,  and  presents  us  with  the  principal  inci- 
dents in  the  life  of  one  of  the  popular  leaders  of  his 
times,  conspicuous  for  his  efforts  to  secure  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Dutch  origin  the  privileges  to  which  they  were 
entitled  by  the  "  Articles  of  Surrender,"  and  to  main- 
tain for  the  people  at  large,  their  civil  and  municipal 
rights. 

It  was  delivered  at  the  meeting  held  on  the  4th  of 
November,  1862,  on  the  occasion  of  the  presentation  of 
the  portraits  described  by  Mr.  De  Peyster  in  this  paper. 
We  feel  assured  that  the  readers  of  the  Manual  will 
derive  both  pleasure  and  instruction  from  its  perusal. 


M102990 


The  present  publication  is  from  a  copy  of  the  original, 
deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Historical  Society — a 
Memoir  of  the  Life  and  Times  of  the  Hon.  Eip  Van 
Dam,  in  connection  with  the  presentation  of  the  por- 
traits, on  that  occasion,  of  himself  and  wife. 


tmnt. 


Me.  Pkesident — I  invite  the  attention  of  yourself 
and  the  members  present  to  the  portraits  on  your  right 
hand  and  left,  which  have  a  historic  interest  that  well 
entitles  them  to  a  place  in  our  Gallery  of  Art. 

The  portrait  on  your  right  is  that  of  the  Hon.  Rip 
Van  Dam,  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  New 
York,  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  political  events  to 
which  I  shall  presently  advert ;  conspicuous  in  our 
colonial  annals  for  the  results  that  flowed  from  them, 
and  which  added  to  the  force  of  the  current  that  grad- 
ually bore  the  colonies  on  to  independence,  and  subse- 
quently moulded  them  into  the  American  Republic. 

Mr.  Van  Dam  administered  the  government  of  the 
province  of  New  York  during  the  interval  between  the 
death  of  Governor  Montgomerie,  which  occurred  on 
the  1st  day  of  August,  1731,  and  the  arrival  of  Gov- 
ernor Cosby,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1732,  in  right 
of  his  position  as  senior  member  of  the  King's  Council 
at  the  time. 


«*" 


mm?  tai  iai 


The  features  indicate  the  calm  but  resolute  firmness 
which  characterized  this  political  leader,  whose  popu- 
larity arose  from  the  conviction  of  his  adherents  of  the 
honesty  of  his  motives,  and  of  his  unswerving  devotion 
to  their  best  interests. 

These  impressions,  sustained  by  that  confidence  which 
is  well  said  to  be  a  "  plant  of  slow  growth,"  made  the 
name  of  Van  Dam  a  rallying  point  in  many  a  con- 
tested struggle  in  the  political  strifes  of  the  times,  and 
often  led  the  friends  of  popular  rights  and  freedom  to 
the  goal  of  triumphant  success  under  his  skillful  lead- 
ership. 

The  portrait  on  your  left  is  that  of  Mrs.  Van  Dam. 
Of  the  period  of  their  marriage  and  other  circum- 
stances connected  with  it,  I  shall  take  occasion  hereafter 
to  speak  more  particularly. 

There  is  no  record  of  which  I  am  aware  that  tells 
the  tale  of  her  wedded  or  unwedded  life ;  nor  are  there 
traditionary  reminiscences  preserved  by  her  successive 
generations  which  relate  to  her  domestic  virtues  and 
personal  merit.  There  is,  however,  a  circumstance, 
hereinafter  referred  to,  which  in  part  accounts  for  this 
deficiency. 

With  these  general  1  emarks,  I  take  the  opportunity 
here  to  introduce  an  extract  of  a  letter  on  the  subject, 
which  Mrs.  Emily  Verplanck  Goodwin,  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Dam,  and  the  present 
owner  of  these  portraits,  has  addressed  to  me : 


"  Accompanying  this  you  have  my  note  to  the  society, 
in  which  I  can  only  repeat  what  I  said  before  to  Mr. 
Sillinian,  that  the  portraits  have  descended  to  me  in 
direct  succession,  and  have  never,  to  our  knowledge, 
been  out  of  the  family." 

The  letter  to  the  society,  also  addressed  to  me,  but 
officially  in  this  case,  is  as  follows : 

Hon.  Frederic  de  Peyster, 

Second  Vice-President  of  the 

New  Yorh  Historical  Society : 

Sir — At  the  solicitation  of  B.  D.  Silliman,  Esq.,  of 
Brooklyn,  I  present  to  the  Historical  Society  of  New 
York,  to  be  placed  in  its  library,  the  original  portraits 
of  Governor  Rip  Van  Dam,  and  his  wife  Sara  Van 
Dam,  which  have  descended  to  me  in  direct  succession. 

My  mother,  Sarah  Van  Bam  Mesier,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham  Mesier  and  Cornelia  White. 

The  mother  of  Cornelia  White  was  Sarah  Van  Dam, 
the  great-granddaughter  of  Rip  Van  Dam,  who  was 
Governor  of  New  York. 

I  regret  that  I  cannot  promise  any  more  interesting 
information  regarding  them,  but  can  only  say  that  they 
have  hung  upon  our  walls  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, and  have  never  been  out  of  the  family. 
Very  respectfully, 

EMILY  VERPLANCK  GOODWIN. 


J    Hoge 


r    Wj&.M 


Mr.  Silliman,  in  transmitting  to  me  the  above  letter 
of  Mrs.  Goodwin,  remarks  :  "  I  think  it  must  be  more 
than  thirty  years  since  I  first  saw  the  portraits  in  old 
Mr.  Dougherty's  hall,  and  was  then  told  by  his  family 
that  they  were  original  likenesses  of  Governor  Eip 
Van  Dam  and  his  wife." 

In  the  letter  to  me  first  mentioned,  Mrs.  Goodwin 
stated  further  that  "  among  the  papers  of  my  lamented 
father,  I  find  the  following  brief  notes : 

"  Rip  Van  Dam  had  a  son  Rip  Van  Dam,  who  also 
had  a  son  of  the  same  name,  who  was  the  father  of 
Sarah  Van  Dam,  who  married  James  White. 

"  So,  then,  the  mother  of  my  grandmother  was  the 
great-granddaughter  of*  Rip  Van  Dam,  the  President 
of  the  Council. 

"  The  second  husband  of  Sarah  Van  Dam  was  Jacob 
Van  Voorhes.  The  family  left  New  York  at  the  time 
it  was  occupied  by  the  English,  and  when  the  city  was 
burned  they,  with  others,  lost  much  valuable  property, 
which  may,  perhaps,  account  for  so  little  being  known 
of  the  history  of  the  family  at  this  time." 

The  main  object  of  Mrs.  Goodwin  is  to  show  the 
direct  line  of  her  descent  from  President  Van  Dam, 
and  by  which  she-  came  into  possession  of  these  ori- 
ginal portraits. 

Mrs.  Goodwin  having  accordingly  soon  after  put  me 
in  possession  of  these  interesting  relics  of  a  bygone 


age,  they  have  been  restored  in  the  manner  to  which 
I  shall  presently  advert,  agreeably  to  the  promise  which 
I  made  to  her  at  the  time  of  the  delivery  of  the  paint- 
ings to  me. 

In  compliance  with  the  express  request  of  the  liberal 
donor,  I  now  have  the  honor  to*present  them  to  the 
society  in  her  name,  and  will  file  with  the  Secretary 
the  several  letters  above  referred  to. 

By  this  act  of  presentation,  the  portraits  are  now 
the  property  of  this  institution.  I  propose  to  make  a 
few  additional  remarks  in  further  explanation  of  the 
subject,  and  shall  then  present  a  condensed  memoir  of 
President  or  Governor  Van  Dam,  as  he  is  indiscrimi- 
nately described  in  the  times  with  which  his  name  is 
connected. 

At  this  distant  date,  it  is  impracticable  to  state  posi- 
tively when  or  by  whom  these  portraits  were  painted. 
As  time  rolls  on,  circumstances  familiar  in  their  day 
fade  from  memory,  and,  as  in  other  instances  of  iden- 
tification of  a  more  positive  character,  we  are  left  to 
judge  from  analogy  and  reasonable  conjecture  of  the 
facts  connected  with  the  case  in  question. 

It  is  improbable  that  they  were  painted  in  Holland ; 
for  no  evidence,  written  or  oral,  exists  to  prove  that 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Dam  ever  visited  the  fatherland. 

I  have  looked  into  Dunlap's  "  History  of  the  Kise 
and  Progress  of  the  Arts  of  Design,"  and  find  that  the 


only  artist  who  lived  here  in  the  time  of  President 
Van  Dam  was  John  Smybert,  as  he  spelled  his  name 
on  the  picture  of  "  Dean  Berkeley  and  family,"  now  in 
Yale  College. 

Dunlap  thus  alludes  to  Mr.  Smybert's  influence,  and 
that  of  his  works,  upon  Copley,  Trumbull,  and 
Allston : 

" '  Copley,'  he  remarked,  '  was  a  youth  of  thirteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  Smybert's  death,  and  pro- 
bably had  instruction  from  him,  certainly  from  his 
pictures.  Trumbull,  having  retired  from  the  army  in 
the  winter  of  1776  or  the  spring  of  1777,  because  his 
commission  as  deputy  adjutant-general  was  dated  in 
September  instead  of  (as  he  thought  it  ought  to  be) 
in  June,  resumed  his  study  of  painting  in  Boston,  in 
1777,  amidst  the  works  of  Copley,  and  in  the  room 
which  had  been  built  by  Smybert,  in  which  remained 
many  of  his  works.'  Allston  said,  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  after  speaking  of  the  pictures  of  Pine :  '  But 
I  had  a  higher  master  in  the  head  of  Cardinal  Benti- 
•voglio,  from  Vandyke,  in  the  college  library  (Cam- 
bridge), which  I  obtained  permission  to  copy  one 
winter's  vacation.  This  copy  from  Vandyke  was  by 
Smybert,  an  English  painter,  who  came  to  this  country 
with  Dean,  afterward  Bishop  Berkeley.  At  that  time 
it  seemed  to  me  perfection,  but  when  I  saw  the  original, 
some  years  afterward,  I  had  to  alter  my  notions  of 
perfection.     However,  I  am  grateful  to  Smybert  for 


10 

the  instruction  he  gave  me ;  his  works  rather.'  '  Berke- 
ley,' as  he  added,  '  in  his  benevolent  project  for  spread- 
ing knowledge  in  America,  did  not  neglect  the  important 
agency  of  the  arts  of  design ;  and  having  experience 
of  the  character  and  talents  of  Smybert,  who  had  been 
his  fellow-traveler  in  Italy,  chose  him  as  the  professor 
of  drawing,  painting,  and  architecture  for  his  intended 
institution.' 

"  Of  Mr.  Smybert,  Mr.  Verplanck  observes  that  '  he 
was  not  an  artist  of  the  first  rank ;  for  the  arts  were 
then  at  a  very  low  ebb  in  England  ;  but  the  best  por- 
traits which  we  have  of  the  eminent  magistrates  and 
divines  of  New  England  and  New  York,  who  lived 
between  1725  and  1750,  are  from  his  pencil.'  " 

Horace  Walpole,  in  his  anecdotes  of  painting  in 
England,  also  gives  some  account  of  him,  and  I  here 
quote  the  concluding  words  of  Walpole,  inserted  in 
Dunlap's  account  of  Smybert :  "  As  our  disputes  and 
politics  have  traveled  to  America,  is  it  not  possible 
that  poetry,  and  painting  too,  will  revive  amidst  those 
extensive  tracts  as  they  increase  in  opulence  and  em- 
pire, and  where  the  stores  of  nature  are  so  various,  so 
magnificent,  and  so  new? "  This  was  written  in  1762. 
I  hope  that  I  will  be  excused  for  one  more  extract  on 
the  same  subject,  that  which  was  written  by  President 
"Styles,  formerly  of  Yale  College :  "  Mr.  Smybert,  the 
portrait  painter,  who  in  1728  accompanied  Dr.  Berkeley, 
then  Dean  of  Deny,  and  afterward  Bishop  of  Cloyne, 


11 

from  Italy  to  America,  was  employed,  while  at  Flor- 
ence, by  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  to  paint  two  or 
three  Siberian  Tartars,  presented  to  the  Duke  by  the 
Czar  of  Russia.  This  Mr.  Smybert,  upon  his  landing 
with  Mr.  Berkeley  in  Narragansett  Bay,  instantly  re- 
cognized the  Indians  here  to  be  the  same  people  as  the 
Siberian  Tartars  whose  pictures  he  had  taken." 

From  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Verplanck,  it  is  probable 
that  John  Smybert  painted  these  portraits  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Van  Dam.  They  are  well  spoken  of  by  several 
of  our  resident  artists ;  and,  if  by  Smybert,  are  thought 
to  be  his  best  style. 

We  have  learned  that  they  have  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  descendants  of  Governor  Van  Dam  since 
they  were  painted,  and  handed  down  from  sire  to  son, 
until  they  reached  the  hands  of  the  generous  lady  who 
has  placed  them  permanently  in  our  Gallery  of  Art. 

In  the  discharge  of*  this  part  of  a  pleasant  duty,  I 
take  occasion  also  to  say  a  word  or  two  respecting  Mr. 
Silliman,  whom  to  name  is  sufficient  for  those  who  en- 
joy his  acquaintance  and  esteem  him  for  his  many  vir- 
tues. He  it  was  who  first  drew  my  attention  to  these 
paintings ;  and  it  was  through  his  influence  with  the 
donor,  that  I  was  enabled  to  follow  up  successfully  the 
inquiry  which  resulted  in  their  becoming  the  property 
of  the  society.  To  him,  therefore,  the  society  is  also 
under  obligations  for  his  friendly  offices. 

When  the  portraits  were  delivered  to  me,  I  found 


12 

them  much  defaced,  and  with  rents  in  the  canvas,  but 
capable  of  being  nearly,  if  not  quite,  restored  to  their 
original  condition.  The  frames  were  worm-eaten,  and 
when  the  rims  to  which  the  canvas  was  attached  were 
removed  they  fell  into  pieces.  I  would  not  allow  a 
piece  to  be  lost ;  they  were  skillfully  grooved  together, 
and  the  frames  regilt  and  colored  afresh,  in  the  identi- 
cal style  and  manner  in  which  they  were  originally. 

The  portraits  themselves  have  been  restored  by  the 
best  talent  in  this  line  of  art  that  could  be  secured  in 
this  city  for  accomplishing  the  work  with  artistic  taste 
and  skill.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  Lazarus,  in  his  successful 
attempt,  to  award  to  him  the  merit,  which  he  has  not 
only  in  this  instance  attained,  but  for  his  acknowledged 
abilities  in  this  branch  of  the  art. 

Their  delivery  to  me  on  the  condition  of  being  prop- 
erly restored  made  it  necessary  to  bring  the  subject 
before  the  Executive  Committee,  and  thereupon  a  sub- 
committee was  appointed,  consisting  of  Mr.  Schell  and 
myself,  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  Mrs.  Goodwin.  This 
duty  has  been  discharged.  The  committee  are  more 
than  compensated  by  finding  that  these  memorials  of 
colonial  days,  in  all  their  original  freshness,  have  become 
part  of  the  collection  of  the  society. 

I  consider  the  continued  possession  of  these  portraits 
through  successive  generations  in  the  same  family,  and 
the  traditionary  history  which  confirms  the   fact   of 


13 

their   identity,  as  sufficient  to  establish  their  authen- 
ticity. 

This  is  the  impression,  like  that  of  their  family  seal, 
which  gives  validity  to  these  old  and  valued  documents, 
and  proves  their  genuineness. 

In  order  that  I  may  not  trespass  too  far  upon  your 
attention  before  proceeding  with  the  memoir  of  Mr. 
Van  Dam,  I  beg  leave  to  mention  some  of  the  author- 
ities to  which  I  am  indebted  for  the  information  con- 
tained in  the  remainder  of  this  paper. 

In  the  investigation  of  our  colonial  history,  every  in- 
quirer on  the  subject  is  aware  how  much  our  citizens 
at  large,  but  especially  of  our  State,  are  indebted  to 
the  extensive  researches,  the  ability,  zeal,  and  care 
which  our  fellow-member  John  Romeyn  Brodhead, 
Esq.,  has  devoted  to  the  procuring  of  the  invaluable 
documents  obtained  by  him  in  Holland,  England,  and 
France,  illustrative  of  this  history. 

He  is  also  aware  of  similar  benefits  conferred  upon 
the  State,  and  upon  every  student  of  its  history,  by  Dr. 
E.  B.  O'Callaghan  in  his  arrangement  and  elucidation 
of  its  documentary  history,  made  under  his  able  and 
efficient  direction. 

They  have  both,  independently  of  their  other  distin- 
guished services  in  this  branch  of  literature,  severally 
erected  a  monument  to  themselves,  "  cere  perenmuxy 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  also  acknowledge  my  ob- 


14 

ligations  to  Mr.  Valentine,  Clerk  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  the  indefatigable  editor  of  the  Manual  of 
the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

His  laborious  investigations,  judicious  action,  and 
discriminating  judgment  have  made  this  important 
work  a  storehouse  of  useful,  rare,  and  exceedingly 
interesting  matter  in  elucidation  of  the  early  history  of 
this  city  and  State. 

Unlike  the  Scottish  laird,  who  carefully  superin- 
tended the  erection  of  his  own  mausoleum,  and  finished 
it  in  time  to  receive  his  mortal  remains,  our  esteemed 
fellow-member  keeps  pace  with  each  revolving  year  in 
improving  and  enlarging  his  great  work,  thus  making 
it  more  and  more  worthy  of  his  name  and  fame,  and 
the  commendation  of  the  generations  to  succeed  us. 

The  spirit  of  the  Spanish  salutation,  "  May  you  live 
a  thousand  years,"  in  Mr.  Valentine's  case  inculcates  a 
sentiment  peculiarly  appropriate  ;  for  this  useful  work 
in  which  he  is  so  earnestly  engaged,  and  to  which, 
year  after  year,  he  is  making  many  valuable  addi- 
tions, enables  him  in  its  arrangement  to  rescue  from 
oblivion  many  priceless  materials,  which  would  other- 
wise have  perished  from  neglect  and  "  the  rust  of 
time." 

The  publication  and  prosecution  of  this  work,  under 
the  patronage  of  our  city  fathers,  is  a  memorable 
exception  to  these  words  of  Tacitus,  "  Initia  magistra- 
tuum  nostrorum  meliora  et  firma  finis  inclinat :" — The 


15 

commencement  of  our  official  duties  is  characterized  by 
greater  vigor  and  alacrity ;  but  toward  the  end  they 
flag. 

The  Manual,  instead  of  flagging,  by  general  acknow- 
ledgment, in  every  essential  respect,  "  crescit  eundo." 

I  now  proceed  to  give  a  brief  memoir  of  Mr.  Van 
Dam,  which  the  presentation  of  his  portrait  has 
induced  me  to  prepare.  He  was  a  type  of  that  class- 
of  men  who  at  different  times  have  made  this  city  their 
home,  and  by  their  good  sense,  energy  of  action,  and 
sound  counsel  have  associated  their  names  with  its 
extraordinary  progress  and  substantial  welfare. 

The  industry,  liberal  principles,  and  acknowledged 
integrity  of  the  more  prominent  of  the  early  Dutch 
settlers  gave  the  first  impulse  to  this  progress.  The 
local  advantages  which  New  York  peculiarly  possessed 
stimulated  and  rewarded  individual  efforts,  and  the 
imitation  of  those  earlier  traits  of  character  has  seldom 
failed  to  promote  the  welfare  of  all  who  have  here 
"cast  their  lot,"  and  have  worthily  identified  their 
names  with  its  annals. 

Rip  Van  Dam  was  born  at  Albany,*  but  in  what 
year  is  now  unknown.  Other  members  of  his  family 
remained  in  that  city,  and  were  engaged  in  trade  many 
years  after  his  removal  to  New  York.f 


°  Record  of  his  marriage,  Coll.  R.  D.  Ch.  Records, 
f  Records  of  Albany,  in  Munsell  ;  Annals  of  Albany. 


16 

Mr.  Van  Dam  was  married,  in  the  Dutch  Church,  in 
New  York,  to  Sara  Vanderspeigle,  the  daughter  of  a 
wealthy  baker  in  the  latter  city,*  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1684,f  and  the  occasion  has  been  noticed  as 
one  of  the  notable  events  of  that  period.  J 

In  early  life  he  was  a  merchant,§  and  he  sometimes 
commanded  in  person  his  good  sloop  Catharine,  which 
was  engaged  in  the  West  India  trade,  ||  as  McDougal 
and  Glover  were  also  engaged  in  later  periods  of  our 
history. 

At  as  early  a  period  as  May,  1090,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  merchants  in  this  commercial 
city,  and  united  with  Stephen  de  Lancey,  Jacobus  Van 
Cortlandt,  Colonel  Abraham  de  Peyster,  Nicholas  Wm. 
Stuyvesant,  Balthazer  Bayard,  Isaac  de  Foreest,  and 
others,  "merchants,  traders,  and  others,  the  principal 
inhabitants"  of  the  province,  in  petitioning  the  king 
and  queen  (William  and  Mary)  for  relief  from  the 
arbritrary  measures  adopted  by  Leisler  and  his  adher- 
ents, and  executed  on  those  who  opposed  him.^f 

From  1693  to  1695  he  was  an  assistant  alderman  of 
the  North  Ward,  in  this  city;**  but,  in  April,  1699, 
when  he  ran  for  alderman  on  the  anti-Leislerian  or 
opposition  ticket,  he  was  defeated.-)- f 

*Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  153.  |R.  D.  Ch.  Records. 

J  Valentine's  Manual,  1862,  pp.  774-5. 

§  Valentine's  Manual,  1862,  pp.  774-5.         fl  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  153. 

1  Col.  Doc.  HI.,  pp.  748-9.  **  Valentine's  Manual,   ff  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  508. 


17 

He  was  ever  alive  to  the  interests  of  this  city  and 
province,  and  was  always  among  the  most  active  of 
those  who  sought  their  protection.  Thus,  in  March, 
1700,  he  united  with  Nicholas  Bayard,  Robert  Watts, 
Elie  Bowdinote,  Stephen  de  Lancey,  Jacobus  Van 
Cortlandt,  Barent  Schuyler,  Joseph  Billop,  Adolphus 
Phillipse,  and  others,  "merchants  of  New  York,  in 
America,"  in  praying  the  king  to  separate  the  govern- 
ment of  New  England  from  that  of  New  York,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  "  many  and  great  inconveniences  which 
daily  happened,"  to  the  detriment  of  trade,  the  retard- 
ing of  justice,  and  the  discouragement  of  industry  in 
every  portion  of  the  province.*  In  December,  1701, 
he  united  with  the  Protestants  of  this  province,  in  peti- 
tioning the  king  for  a  redress  of  grievances  to  which 
they  had  been  subjected  by  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  by 
whose  orders  they  had  been  treated  as  "  disaffected  and 
infamous,"  "  turned  out  of  their  places  in  the  govern- 
ment," and  otherwise  abused.f  In  February,  1711,  he 
united  with  all  the  principal  merchants  of  the  city  in 
praying  for  orders  that  men-of-war  might  be  restrained 
from  transporting  beef,  pork,  and  flour  to  the  West 
India  Islands,  and  rum,  sugar,  and  other  West  Indian 
produce  from  the  islands,  as  merchandise,  as  they  had 
done,  to  the  injury  of  those  who  were  engaged  in  that 
trade.  J 

Besides   his   business   as   a  trader,  Rip  Van  Dam 


•Col.  Doc.  IV.  p.  624.  f  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  934.         J  Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  332. 

3 


18 

united  with  James  Mills  in  that  of  shipbuilding ;  and 
they  established  a  shipyard  in  the  rear  of  Trinity 
church -yard,  on  the  North  river.*  It  is  not  known, 
however,  to  what  extent  this  branch  of  his  business 
was  carried. 

Among  the  grievances  to  which  New  York  was  sub- 
jected by  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  through  his  resident 
lieutenant-governor  (Nanfan),  was  the  seizure  of  ves- 
sels for  assumed  violations  of  the  revenue  laws  ;  -f  and 
some  of  the  vessels  in  which  Mr.  Van  Dam  was  inter- 
ested were  subjected  to  this  treatment.^  He  imme- 
diately joined  the  opposition  party  ;  and,  in  connection 
with  Nicholas  Bayard  and  others,  he  became  prominent 
in  the  proceedings  connected  with  the  addresses  to  the 
king  and  parliament,  which  Nanfan  considered  libel- 
ous, and  for  signing  which  Captain  Hutchins,  Colonel 
Bayard,  and  others  were  arrested  and  committed  to 
prison.  § 

On  the  arrival  of  Lord  Cornbury  he  found  the  pro- 
vince in  the  greatest  disorder;|  and  the  most  violent 
measures  were  adopted  by  the  leaders,  on  either  hand, 
to  secure  or  to  maintain  their  supremacy.  The  opposi- 
tion, among  Avhom  was  Mr.  Van  Dam,  secured  the 
power  ;^f  and  in  June,  1702,  the  governor  suspended 
from  office,  as  members  of  the  council,  Chief- Justice 

°  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  153.      f  Col-  Doc.  IV.,  p.  944.      %  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  153. 

§Col.  Doc.  IV.,  pp.  944-953;  V.,  p.  105  ;  VI.,  p.  153. 

||  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  958.  fl  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  1022. 


19 

Atwood,  Collector  Weaver,  Colonel  Abraham  de  Pey- 
ster,  and  others,*  and  appointed  Mr.  Van  Dam  and 
his  friends  in  their  steadf — a  reward,  it  is  probable, 
for  his  activity  in  procuring  evidence  against  his  prede- 
cessors for  the  purpose  of. effecting  their  removal.! 
This  change  was  approved  by  the  queen  in  council, 
January  21,  1702-3  ;§  and  the  power  of  Mr.  Van 
Dam  and  his  friends  was  established  beyond  question. 
In  September,  1702,  in  connection  with  Colonel  de 
Peyster  and  an  officer  of  the  garrison,  Mr.  Van  Dam 
was  appointed  by  Lord  Cornbury  to  inspect  the  fort  in 
New  York,  its  garrison  and  armament ;  and  the  report 
of  their  condition,  from  the  governor  to  the  home 
government,  is  exceedingly  interesting.! 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1702,  at  its  session  in 
Jamaica,  L.  I.,  whither  it  had  fled  to  avoid  a  prevailing 
sickness,  Mr.  Van  Dam  took  his  seat  at  the  council 
board  ;•[  and  he  appears  to  have  been  punctual  in  his 
attendance  in  that  body  during  the  many  years  of  his 
service  therein  as  a  member.** 

In  June,  1706,  Mr.  Van  Dam  was  appointed  a  com- 
missioner for  adjusting  the  claim  which  had  been  made 
by  the  Mohegans  for  lands  near  the  Connecticut  line, 
and  within  that  colony.ff 

*Col.  Doc.  IV.,  pp.  959-971. 

f  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  1024;  Minutes  of  th3  L^gisl  itive  Council,  p.  176. 

JCol.  Doc.  IV,  p.  1022  ;  V.,  p.  105.      §Col.  Doc  IV.,  p.  1024. 

||  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  967.  H  Minutes  of  the  Council,  p.  176. 

**Ibid.,  176-612.  ft  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  1178. 


20 

He  continued  in  the  council  until  the  1st  of  July, 
1731,  when,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  Governor 
Montgomerie,  as  senior  counselor,  he  became  President 
of  that  body,  and,  ex  officio,  acting  governor  of  the  pro- 
vince.* 

The  public  service  requiring  a  provision  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  post  at  Oswego  and  for  the  defense  of 
Albany,  President  Van  Dam  called  the  assembly 
together  in  August,  l731,f  when  various  measures, 
besides  that  referred  to,  were  acted  on  and  approved 
by  him. 

During  his  administration  of  the  government  of  the 
colony,  President  Van  Dam  resisted  the  attempts  which 
were  made  to  establish  courts  of  chancery  within  the 
colony,  as  Governor  Montgomerie  had  done  before  him ; 
and,  like  that  officer,  he  steadily  refused  to  take  the 
oaths  as  chancellor,  notwithstanding  the  damage  which 
it  inflicted  on  the  revenue,  and  in  open  violation  of  the 
instructions  of  the  home  government.  J  As  no  other 
court  possessed  authority  to  compel  the  payment  of 
quit-rents,  or  to  adjudicate  contested  titles,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  anti-rentists  of  that  day  were  favored  by 
his  course ;  and  it  is  not  unlikely  it  led  to  the  serious 
consequences  of  Governor  Cosby's  administration. 

President  Van  Dam  was    succeeded   by  Governor 

*  Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  921  ;  Minutes  of  Council,  p.  603. 

f  Minutes  of  Legislative  Council,  p.  603  ;  Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  935-939  ;  Journal 
of  Assembly,  I.,  623.  J  Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  931. 


21 

Cosby,  August  1,  1732,*  when  the  latter  demanded 
one-half  the  fees  which  had  been  collected  by  the 
former  during  his  administration  of  the  government, 
and  instituted  a  suit  by  way  of  information  therefor  in 
the  .equity  side  of  the  exchequer.  Mr.  Van  Dam 
resisted,  and  great  excitement  ensued  in  consequence 
of  the  conflict  of  authority  within  the  court  itself,  in 
the  decisions  which  were  rendered — that  of  Chief-Jus- 
tice Morris  having  sustained  Mr.  Van  Dam,  those  of 
Judges  De  Lancey  and  Phillipse  supporting  Governor 
Cosby,  f  The  subject  was  subsequently  dropped,  and 
Mr.  Van  Dam  retained  the  entire  amount,  while  the 
proceedings  of  Governor  Cosby  "  gave  general  dis- 
gust.":]; 

The  change  of  parties  in  power,  which  was  produced 
by  the  accession  to  authority  of  Governor  Cosby,  was 
productive  of  the  most  violent  proceedings  on  either 
hand,  and  all  the  former  hostilities  were  immediately 
resumed. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1733,  Mr.  Van  Dam  presented 
charges  to  the  home  government  against  Governor 
Cosby,§  and  thenceforth  he  became  the  recognized 
head  of  the  popular  party,  |  and  one  of  the  principal 
of  John  Peter  Zenger's  supporters  in  his  violent  oppo- 
sition to  the  government.^ 


*Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  944  ;  VIII.,  p.  250. 

fCol.  Doc.  V.,  p.  944;  VI.,  pp.  10-13;  VIII.,  p.  250. 

%  Col.  Doc.  VIII. ,  p.  250.  §  Col.  Doc.  V.,  pp.  957,  974-986. 

||  Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  97  9.  1|  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  6-13. 


22 

So  determined  was  the  opposition  of  Mr.  Van  Dam 
and  that  of  his  friends  that  the  governor  asked  permis- 
sion to  remove  him  from  the  council,*  and  a  majority  of 
the  council  refused  to  sit  with  him  at  the  council 
board. f  In  August,  1735,  the  lords  of  trade  advised 
the  queen  to  remove  him  from  the  council,  agreeably 
to  the  governor's  request,J  but  the  recommendation 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  acted  on. 

Impatient  at  the  delay  which  had  occurred,  in 
December,  1735,  Governor  Cosby  secretly  suspended 
Mr.  Van  Dam  from  the  council,  without  authority 
from  England,§  which,  as  soon  as  it  became  known, 
was  followed  by  an  intense  excitement  among  the  peo- 
ple, and  not  without  some  attempts  to  disturb  the 
peace.  |    • 

In  January,  1736,  the  first  eftect  of  Mr.  Van  Dam's 
charges  against  Governor  Cosby  was  seen  in  an  order 
of  council,  which  forbade  the  latter  from  occupying  a 
seat  in  the  legislative  council  of  the  province — an  abuse 
of  his  power  which  had  formed  the  fifth  and  sixth 
articles  of  the  charges  which  had  been  presented  to  the 
home  government  against  the  governor  by  Mr.  Van 
Dam.t 

The  governor,  however,  did  not  live  to  receive  the 


*Col.  Doc.  V.,  p.  975  ;  VI,  pp.  6,  7,  23,  24. 

fCol.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  3,  6,  31.  \ Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  35,  36. 

§Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  42,  45,  48  ||Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  43. 

If  Col.  Doc.  VI,  pp.  39,  40. 


23 

order  :  he  died  in  March,  1736.  When  the  fact  of  Mr. 
Van  Dam's  suspension  was  first  published,  and  George 
Clarke  assumed  the  duties  of  governor,*  Mr.  Van 
Dam  demanded  the  commission,  provincial  seal,  <fec, 
refusing  to  recognize  the  validity  of  his  removal,f 
protested  against  Mr.  Clarke's  assumption  of  authority,  J 
and  served  copies  of  his  protest  on  the  members  of  the 
assembly.  § 

The  latter  had  assembled  for  the  discharge  of  their 
official  duties,  when  Mr.  Morris,  speaker  of  the  house, 
read  an  address  to  the  members,  and,  in  company  with 
the  friends  of  Mr.  Van  Dam,  immediately  afterward  left 
the  chamber.  Those  who  remained,  being  less  than  a 
quorum,  were  adjourned  by  the  acting  governor,  with- 
out having  been  called  to  order  by  the  speaker.  | 

The  effect  of  this  protest  was  also  seen  in  Septem- 
ber, 1736,  when  the  assembly  was  again  convened  by 
the  governor.  Before  the  members  could  be  induced 
to  organize  the  house,  they  resolved  to  inquire  into 
the  legality  of  Mr.  Van  Dam's  suspension,  and  two 
members  were  sent  to  the  acting  governor,  desiring 
copies  of  those  clauses  in  the  commission  and  instruc- 
tions which  related  to  the  suspension  of  counselors. 
This  request  was  complied  with,  and  the  session  was 
prorogued  a  day,  in  order  that  the  members  might  con- 


0  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  42,  4G,  48.  fCo1-  Doc-  VI>  PP-  43>  48- 

JCol.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  43,  48.  §  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  52,  65. 

||  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  52,53. 


24 

suit  informally  on  the  subject  before  the  house  should 
be  organized.  At  the  urgent  request  of  those  mem- 
bers who  were  friends  of  the  government,  the  session 
was  further  postponed  or  prorogued  for  a  month  by 
the  acting  governor,  u  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  and 
with  as  good  a  grace  as  he  could,"  considering  it  as  a 
popular  triumph.* 

In  the  meantime,  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New 
York  became  involved  in  the  trouble,  through  the 
necessity  which  existed  for  an  annual  appointment  of 
the  municipal  officers  by  the  governor  of  the  province. 
Which  of  the  two  possessed  the  legal  authority  was  a 
delicate  question,  and  they  proposed  that  both  Mr. 
Van  Dam  and  Mr.  Clarke  should  desist.  The  latter 
peremptorily  declined  to  comply  with  the  request,  and 
on  the  29th  of  September  he  reappointed  the  officers 
of  the  past  year. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Mr.  Van  Dam 
summoned  the  council  to  meet  at  his  house,  when,  in 
the  presence  of  one  member  only,  no  other  attending, 
he  appointed  a  mayor,  recorder,  sheriff,  and  coroner ; 
and  the  most  disastrous  consequences  were  threatened. 

The  receipt  of  the  additional  instructions  by  Mr. 
Clarke,  hereafter  referred  to,  disposed  of  the  subject 
before  there  had  been  any  rupture ;  and  the  officers 
who  had  been  appointed  by  him  were  continued  in 
their  seats,  f 

«Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  73,  77,  81.  fCo1-  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  78,  79. 


25 

On  the  12th  of  October,  1736,  the  members  of  the 
assembly  reassembled,  but  before  an  organization  could 
be  effected  they  resumed  the  informal  discussion  ol  Mr. 
Van  Dam's  suspension  and  the  legitimacy  of  Mr. 
Clarke's  administration.  This  was  continued  all  day, 
when  they  were  prorogued  by  the  acting  governor 
until  -the  following  day;  but  fortunately  for  Mr. 
Clarke,  and  for  the  province,  at  an  early  hour  on  the 
13th  an  additional  instruction  from  the  queen,  con- 
cerning the  form  of  prayer  to  be  used  for  the  royal 
family,  was  received  by  Mr.  Clarke — a  circumstance 
which  appears  to  have  been  received  by  all  parties  as 
incontrovertible  evidence  that  the  administration  had 
been  recognized  by  the  home  government — and  univer- 
sal quiet  was  immediately  restored.* 

In  the  meantime,  as  Governor  Cosby  had  done  be- 
fore, Clarke  continued  to  press  the  home  government 
for  the  removal  of  Mr.  Van  Dam  from  the  council,f  an 
admission  of  the  illegality  of  his  suspension  and  of  the 
want  of  legal  authority  in  Mr.  Clarke  to  act  as  gov- 
ernor of  the  province.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Van  Dam 
appears  to  have  petitioned  the  privy  council  for  redress 
of  grievances ;  J  and  both  parties,  therefore,  were  duly 
represented  in  England. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1736,  the  controversy  was 
terminated  by  the  receipt  of  a  commission  as  lieutenant- 


*  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  81-82.  f  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  pp.  46,  49,  53,  77. 

%  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  69. 

4 


26 

governor  by  Clarke  ;  *  and  peace  was  restored  to  the 
province. 

Of  Mr.  Van  Dam's  property  little  is  known  beyond 
the  general  information  already  referred  to,  that  he  was 
one  of  the  most  considerable  merchants  in  the  city, 
and  that  he  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  "  The  Nine 
Partners  "  in  Dutchess  county,  f 

He  appears,  notwithstanding  his  constant  partici- 
pation in  public  affairs,  to  have  retained  his  simple, 
primitive  habits,  even  in  his  extreme  old  age.  He  was 
emphatically  Dutch ;  and  he  was  not  well  versed  in 
the  English  language  at  any  period  of  his  life.  J 

He  died  on  the  10th  of  June,  1749,  in  extreme  old 
age ;  §  leaving  two  sons,  Kip  and  Isaac,  and  three 
daughters,  Elizabeth  Kiersted,  Mary  Parcel,  and  Cata- 
lyntie  Thong.  | 

*  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  29  ;  "Minutes  of  Council,  p  638. 

t  Col.  Doc.  VI,  p.  84.  t  Col.  Doc.  IV.,  p.  508  ;  V.,  p.  886. 

§  Col.  Doc.  VI.,  p.  153.  1  Ibid. 


Binder 
Gay  lord  Bros.,  Inc. 

Stockton,  Calif. 
r.M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off. 


M102990 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


